Setting

Mrs Margaret Beel Principal Lyndhurst Junior School Croft Road North End Portsmouth Hampshire PO2 0NT

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School

Following my visit to your academy on 23 September 2015, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the academy since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the academy was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in May 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you, other senior leaders and two members of the governing body to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I evaluated the academy’s action plan. In addition, I scrutinised other academy documentation, including records of leaders’ monitoring activities. I joined you on a tour of the academy and visited every class. Ofsted

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Evidence

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Context

A vice principal, with responsibility for teaching, learning and mathematics, and an assistant principal, with responsibility for performance information and parental engagement, joined the academy at the start of this term.

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Main findings

While you were disappointed by the outcome of the last inspection, you and the other senior leaders have taken rapid and thoughtful action to tackle the areas for improvement. You have drawn up a comprehensive action plan that is based on rigorous and critical self-evaluation of the academy’s current position. The action plan sets out clear and measurable targets for each area of improvement, identifies who will monitor progress and shows how and when it will be measured. Consequently, work to address the key priorities is well underway.

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Main findings

The changes in the leadership structure have strengthened the academy’s capacity to improve. You have emphasised the need to put learning at the heart of the academy’s work. In the classes we visited, pupils were enthusiastic about what they were doing and were focused on their learning.

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Main findings

Leaders are providing useful professional development and support to teachers, which are closely matched to their individual needs. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving and staff are keen to take the initiative to make improvements to their practice and embrace the changes being made.

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Main findings

Effective training has been given to teachers to enable them to provide greater challenge to pupils. Teachers have benefited from time to teach alongside senior leaders and to share good practice. In our visits to classes, pupils frequently pointed out that they were tackling more difficult work.

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Main findings

Significant improvements have been made to how information about pupils’ progress is used. The process is more rigorous and systematic and looks closely at the progress of individuals and specific groups of pupils, especially those at risk of underachievement. As a result, teachers are more accountable for the progress pupils make in their classes.

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Main findings

Leaders are undertaking a variety of monitoring activities more frequently, including checks on the quality of teaching and looking at pupils’ work. However, in the subsequent feedback to teachers, there is too little analysis of the impact of teaching on the progress of different groups of pupils.

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Main findings

You have effectively reviewed the curriculum to build in more explicit opportunities for pupils to apply their learning from a range of subject areas. Pupils are being given more opportunities to write at length. You have decided that all pupils’ written work will be recorded in one book so that pupils, parents and staff can see progress over time more clearly.

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Main findings

The governors have a clear view of the academy’s improvement priorities and are secure in their knowledge of how to implement them. Their ability to challenge and support the academy’s leaders has been improved by clearer information about pupils’ progress and attainment. Governors attend training workshops alongside teaching staff and make regular visits to the academy. Governors are holding senior staff more closely to account and are engaging in additional training to enhance their strategic role in driving improvement. The academy has organised a review of governance, in line with the recommendations of the last report, and this will take place shortly.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further monitoring inspections and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the academy until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The academy actively seeks and benefits from support through the Nelson cluster of local schools and the Challenge Partners programme. A recent review of provision, carried out through the Portsmouth Teaching School Alliance, has provided a strong impetus for many of the recent improvements to the academy.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Hampshire and the Department for Education.

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